Gilt Feeding Management

In an ideal world gilts should be 130kg at 220 days with 18mm back fat at P2 level when mated to the boar for the first time. However, this is extremely difficult to achieve.

Select gilts intended for breeding at a light enough weight to allow for controlled growth, gilts selected from the finishing house at 95 kg are likely to be 160 days old, 12 mm back fat and growing at over 1kg per day. Therefore, they will be 130 kg at only 195 days with only 14 mm back fat unless they are starved, which would not be in the interest of their future reproductive performance.

At 60 kg do the final selection for the gilt –

minimum requirements: 14 teats, excellent conformation, no history of illness.

Weight of pig	Age	Feed to use	Quantity
60 kg move gilt out of finishing accommodation	15-16 weeks of age (105-112 days of age)
60 kg to 95 kg	105-190 days of age – only require 420g a day growth	Feed a gilt diet of 13.6 DE and 14% protein with an enhanced lysine concentration of 0.85%. Increase Ca:P concentrations – 1.0% Ca and 0.8% P. Chromium may be increased to 200 ppb. Consider extra biotin to strengthen feet – 1 mg/kg	ad libitum
95 kg to 120kg Introduce to boar and induce 1^st oestrus	105-190 days	Feed gilt ration	3.0 kg per day
120 kg – 130 kg	190 – 220 days	Feed gilt ration	Ad libitum Essential to have sufficient feed space.
If you wish to mate on the 3^rd oestrus control diet too 3 kg a day through the 2^nd oestrus
130 kg 2^nd oestrus and breed.		Injection of Vit A may be useful at mating.	Condition score should be 3.5 to 4
Post breeding to 21 days post-service	220 – 241 days	Feed gilt ration	2 kg max per day
21 days post breeding to 90 day of gestation	241 – 310 days	Feed gestation ration – 14% DE, 16% protein 0.6% lysine.	2-2.5 kg depending on condition. Reduce condition from 4 to 3.5
90 - 110 days of gestation	310 – 330 days	Feed gestation ration	Increase to 3.5 to 4 kg a day
110 days to farrow	330-335 days	Feed lactation ration	Max 2 kg a day
Farrow to weaning	48 weeks 335 days	Feed lactation ration following feed curve	Aim for 9 kg by day 18 of lactation

Essential to avoid overfat gilts in the farrowing house who fail to eat in their first lactation – this is the major cause of 2^nd litter size failure and subsequent failures.